Samurai 21 Japanese

Mauricio our sushi chef was so lovable and fun! Food and ambiance is so welcoming in this one horse town.
Try the surf and turf roll and the Mt. Fuji rolls. highly recommended! Sit at the sushi bar if you can…

We visit Mesquite once a year and this a must visit yearly. Service and food awesome.

Do not eat here unless you want awful service and a staff that doesn’t care whether you are there or somewhere else! The most telling feature of this restaurant is when we left after 40 minutes of not being seated to go to a different restaurant, the host simply said «sorry for the wait, good-​bye.»
Cannot comment on the food because we couldn’t get seated. When we arrived at this near empty restaurant we were told it would be a few minutes. As we got to the 20 minute mark and watched several small groups be seated we again inquired and were told it would be «soon.» We eventually called the Cucina Italiana down the street and were told they could seat us. As we got up to leave, the host simply waved good-​bye. No attempt to seat us or save the business or even an apology; just a good-​bye. We could only imagine how bad the service would have been had we stayed. We dropped over $ 200 at the Cucina Italiana which is a much better choice. Raw fish at a place like this? Never! Suggest you skip this one and drive down the street for some excellent Italian food and a very welcoming staff.

We love Samuri 21, it’s one of our family favorites. My only complaint is they sometimes decide when lunch time is slow to close early. We called first to check hours before making the 40 minute drive up. When we got there they promptly told us they had decided to close early due to it being slow. Other than that we go weekly!

Me and husband had a great experience today, and the food and service was exceptional! I would definitely recommend this restaurant to friends and family and return to eat at this establishment!

This was the worst sushi we’ve ever had — EVER. My rainbow roll was disgusting. The fish was nearly transparent, smelled, and tasted old. I told the sushi chef there was a problem with the roll and also asked if they used mayonnaise in the rice. He said «yes, mayo is added to the rolls» and stated I could have asked that it not be used when I placed the order. I said mayo wasn’t in the description on the menu so how would I know to ask that it be excluded? He agreed that it isn’t in the description but didn’t offer to replace the item with another sans the mayo and with non-​stinky fish nor did he offer to remove the charge (since I didn’t eat it). Mayo in sushi rolls? Gross.
This restaurant is very expensive for small portions of nasty food.
One really good experience was with the hostess/​waitress — She was very sweet and attentive.

I often approach new Sushi places with a certain amount of wariness. A great experience makes a good day better. Likewise, a lackluster performance can sour and otherwise wonderful day. Samurai 21 has mixed reviews. I chose it over Masa while traveling through because of the uni. Uni works well as one of the flags as to how a restaurant will turn out. I figured that if their uni looked as good as it did, then we would be fine. The uni was not available. No big deal. It’s often a special item and we arrived around 9pm on a saturday. What they did have though was not really worth either the price or calling them sushi. The portions were much smaller than they really should have been for the price. We ordered the Bermuda roll, Black jack roll, the udon, and the samurai 21 deluxe set. I didn’t mind the first two rolls. The only problem was that they looked and tasted identical. I didn’t see any fish different between the two. Maybe if I peruse the menu again, I will figure out why they were identical. Everything was extremely salty. I don’t know what soy sauce they use but it tastes like it had salt added which I am sure it didn’t. The noodles were in my opinion a little salty and to my wife’s taste very salty. We both lived in Japan for about 7 – 8 years each, so we are used to udon and sushi made from a variety or regions. The udon though had an array of vegetables in them normally that would not have been in them in Japan (iceberg lettuce for example). Moreover, a 15 dollar bowl became a 20 dollar bowl when my wife asked for a few more noodles. The bowl was a decent size, mind you, just not a 20 dollar bowl. The sushi rice, as mentioned by another reviewer, was just sad. Really sad. The rice was just rice straight from the rice machine. This was pretty much the deal breaker in a so-​so meal. I love japanese rice. I ate gohan every lunch with my students for 6 years and every meal with my host family back in my college days. I just don’t expect my fish to pair well with it undorned with sushi vinegar, salt, and sugar. It doesn’t take much to make the rice, but the lack kills the meal. With the rolls, the difference wasn’t so noticable since rolls tend to have so much going on, but with nigiri, it just doesn’t work.
There was one shining ray of light that I hope this restaurant holds onto with both hands and cherishes: the server. Danyelle had only been there a week, but her attitude and attentiveness made up for some of the dreadfulness of the meal. Actually, that seems a little harsh. I wouldn’t say the meal was dreadful in and of itself. The food was a mild tolerable, not horrible. The problem was that when all was said and done, the bill came out to more than was really normal. We were on the return swing from travelling around the states with our kids. We have eaten sushi in 13 states or so on this trip alone, so I don’t want to chock it up to regional availability. We had sushi in SLC at a fast food chain store that was better (though also not traditional, but hey, it’s a fast food type sushi store). Moreover, South Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota and Wisconsin also fared better. I wanted to like this place. The server was great. The décor was appropriate. The food was just not really Japanese or tasty. If they were, the price would have been a moot point.

Another great lunch date with my hubby. We love sitting at the sushi bar. Always great service and delicious sushi. Mike is fantastic and we always feel welcome. Our favorite place to eat in Mesquite!

We have came here twice and they were closed during business hours. Once we came When they are open, food is sub par and staff is unfriendly. I wouldn’t recommend

Had a gloriously delicious and entertaining dinner. A little spendy but worth the price to treat you and your group. Hibachi’s aren’t really the place to go if your the solo traveler, so I wouldn’t recommend it in that case… Our chef was no Mr. Miyagi, instead speaking some Spanish, but did a great job cooking the meat perfectly while providing the typical hibachi entertainment. I’d go back!

If I could leave a zero, I would have.
My wife and I just left this place. When we went in, there were literally 4 people on the dining side, the left side, and a single hibachi table with 6 guests. The hostess said we have to wait «at least 5 minutes» to sit on the dining side. We sat and watched as she went and folded silverware and folded napkins for 7 or 8 minutes before approaching her and asking why we weren’t being seated. The hostess replied they were very short staffed. I asked why we couldn’t be seated and order some drinks or apps and she again said there weren’t enough servers. Mind you on the hibachi side there were three servers who were just standing there. I said if they were that short staffed, maybe we should go somewhere else and the hostess agreed??? But we took that as a pretty clear indicator of the service, and left. Turning away customers on a slow night– that’s a new approach to running a business… good luck with that.

I should not give this place any stars at all. I called the day before for reservations for 17. The person at the restaurant said no problem for our large group and took our reservation. When we arrived the place was packed. The snippy hostess said we don’t take reservations it is first come first served. When I made the reservation why did they not say that? The hostess says I don’t know. It seems like a come on just to go to the restaurant. The hostess said it will be a 30 minute wait. In the meantime people that came in after us was being seated and served. Then after an hour wait we left. There was another group that called in a month ago with reservations walked out because of an hour wait, but also told we don’t take reservations. There were no apologies for the wait and I have to say extremely poor customer service. I doubt I will ever go there again, they treated us so shabbily.

Good food, good atmosphere. It was deserted for lunch today and there was only one server but surprisingly not too slow. The apps were by far the best; the udon noodles my brother and I had were not authentic but tasted fine. Overall I think I would come back except for dinner not lunch.

We love Samurai 21! The service and food is great. We drove down tonight from St. George and loved how attentive and friendly our server and chef were. Also, there is no better roll than the One Night Stand!

I enjoyed my dinner here. It was quite the show. The sushi was AWESOME. My husband who never eats sushi ate some. The deep fried vegas roll was perfect. I now have a sushi addiction.

I’d been visiting my mom for two weeks, who treated me to dinners at the casino like crazy and I offered to bring her to Samurai 21, as we love hibachi style Japanese steakhouses and hadn’t been to one together since 2005, when we moved away from our favorite one in Hawaii. She hesitated, because she hadn’t heard anything, good or bad, about the one in town. She couldn’t remember if she had been to the one in St. George with my father.
So we went. We were seated promptly at a table with a family of four. Right away, the waitress took our drink orders and let us mull over the menu. The prices were quite affordable, especially compared to the one we were used to in Hawaii (and the one I frequent in my own back yard). Mom got hot tea, steak and shrimp, and I got a soda and filet and shrimp, both with white rice. She also got an extra order of vegetables. Our chef (never got his name) was entertaining. He was constantly making jokes about being Japanese, even though he was very clearly not, which kept all of us at the table highly amused. Dinner was fantastic. The portion size was perfect. My mom kept commenting on just how good everything tasted (she’s pretty picky). My only complaint is that their sauces are just so-​so. A mustard sauce and a garlic ginger, I believe. I’m used to the creamy «yum yum» sauce and was looking forward to having it, but was disappointed. Oh well.
If I ever get a chance to get back to Mesquite and Samurai 21 still exists, I’ll be sure to go again, with family in tow. They are always such a fun experience for a group and I know my parents miss our beloved spot from Hawaii that we frequented so often when we lived there.

I ordered the rainbow roll and the menu says plain in sight that there is suppose to be five fish on it. When it got to me, there was only the albacore, yellow tail, salmon, and the tuna; I was missing the shrimp. I asked my waitress what was the deal I order rainbow rolls all the time at different sushi restaurants and my shrimp pieces of the roll was missing. She brings me back a slab of shrimp and tells me to put it on a piece of my roll. That is (excuse my language) but unfuckingAcceptable. My rainbow roll was disgusting as well, my fish was warm and tasted old. Nothing was adequate besides the atmosphere. I didnt enjoy my experience at this shitty establishment. DONT EAT HERE. Go to sushi masa at least they know what they’re doing. I will NEVER eat here again.

Outstanding service and delicious, fresh sushi. I’ll be back. Let’s not forget the tasty hot sake that was served to my specifications.

Hibachi chef was great and food quality was great. Price makes it even more worth the visit!

Took a little spa trip out of Vegas for a mother/​daughter getaway; we always stay at the Casablanca. Planned to go to Katherine’s one night and Samurai 21 the first night. After reading the recent Unilocal reviews for Samurai 21, we were a little worried. However, all the spa techs we spoke to during the day recommended the Habachi here.
The inside was much nicer than I expected; guests are greeted with an indoor Koi pond and bridge over it. The restrooms are beautiful, the place is clean, at least on the sushi side. Didn’t get to see the hibachi side, this trip. Well, once we arrived, we liked the look of their fresh fish… beautiful. Their fish looked A++ in the sushi display. So, we sat down at the sushi bar and so began our Fun Samurai 21 experience!
The server (I think also the manager/​owner) stopped by to grab our drink order. We ended up talking with her a having some good laughs. She suggested their sake martini for mom and I had hot sake. It was the normal hot sake and a good size for the price. The Saketini had a wine flavor to it.
We watched the sushi chef Sunny at his art, he was into his work and not into our questions but he did quickly warm up to our questions once his station died down. We watched him make a Samurai 21 sashimi platter special. Our mouths were watering at the yellowtail tuna and the white tuna. Oh my! He then made a Samurai 21 roll that looked amazing. We settled in on a roll with lobster tempura & avocado. It was crispy, cooled just enough. It was expertly rolled & sliced. It was tender! Oh so yum!
We had to try that yellowtail tuna, so, we had the sashimi, 2 pieces. Served with daikon. It was succulent and beyond fresh. By this time I was impressed by this restaurant. This was beyond sushi experiences I am used to even in Vegas. The only thing I can compare that lobster roll to was the lobster roll that Little Buddha had, before they closed.
Last, Sunny suggested the basic California Roll, and we tried it with cream cheese, no cucumber for an allergy. It was rich with the cream cheese, good way to end the meal. We bought Sunny a drink for later, one difference than the Vegas places– no buying the Sushi chef drinks on the line! I was supposed, but respected their professionalism, the manager explained, no cutting off fingers during service! LOL. Anyway, we sat and talked with them for a long time, laughing and telling stories. It was a great time.
The funniest part of Mesquite businesses… closing time. «When we are no longer busy.» It’s a great concept! But arrive by 8pm for dinner so you don’t miss this gem
Being from Vegas, we have the best restaurants in the world, best chefs, freshest flown in fish. The experience we had was better than at most sushi houses in Vegas.
Their sushi rolls are creative and just loved reading the flavor combos. They’ve really worked hard on making a menu of appetizing rolls. It was hard to pick just a couple, but we were full from 2 rolls and one sashimi each! Bill was $ 60 including a drink we bought for the chef after work. So really, just $ 50 for the two of us, including alcohol, the FRESHEST sashimi, delicious rolls, and seriously good hospitality, the kind you find in small towns but not in Vegas.
We left very happy… and will be back next time! Hey, maybe even drive up from Vegas for dinner! For these reasons and the fact that there was NOTHING I could find to take a star away, 5 stars.